There’s Still Time to Vote in the USA Today Best Poke in Hawai’i Poll

From James Beard award nominees to Yelp’s Top 100 Restaurants in 2023, our little Big Island food scene is really starting to get recognized on a larger scale. It’s thrilling for any Big Island foodie to see and support these great restaurants and the people who keep them running for us to enjoy. Here’s a chance to support them — USA Today is trying to determine who has the best poke in Hawai‘i with their current USA Today 10 Best Reader’s Poll.

Here’s what their website has to say about the contest:

The word poke (rhymes with ‘okay’) means “to cut crosswise into pieces.” This favorite seafood dish on the islands is made with chopped seafood, typically Ahi tuna, marinated in sesame oil and soy sauce and mixed with fresh onion. Today, restaurants and grocery stores around the state serve numerous varieties with different seafoods (like octopus, salmon or mussels) and toppings. 

There are 20 locales throughout Hawai‘i vying for a spot in the top 10, including three on Hawai‘i Island: Poke Market in Hilo, Island Vintage Coffee (Waikoloa), and Foodland (multiple locations). Currently, Poke Market is in the #2 position behind Kahiau Jerky Poke & Provisions in Honolulu. Island Vintage Coffee and Foodland both have excellent poke options, with locations on other islands; Poke Market is the only location exclusive to Hawai‘i Island. They serve “upscale poke bowls, sushi cakes and rolls to satisfy the foodie in everyone.”

Check out the leaderboard here, and get to voting for the best poke in Hawai’i! You can vote once per day until polls close on Monday, February 27 at noon ET. The winning poke places, as determined by your vote, will be announced on Friday, March 10. Read the official Readers’ Choice rules here. 

While you’re voting, USA Today is also currently running a poll for the best restaurant in Hawai’i. Two Hawai’i Island restaurants are in the running (out of 20 — ridiculous, no?) — Manta, Mauna Kea Beach Hotel’s signature restaurant named for the manta rays that frequent its bay, as well as one of the original homes of Pacific Rim cuisine, Merriman’s Hawai’i. Vote for your favorite Hawai’i restaurant here.

Want to read more about great Hawai’i Island grindz? Check out more Big Island food news HERE, including my recent visit to Merriman’s Waimea.

Featured image via Foodland Facebook page.

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